Mountainside Discipleship

Mountainside Discipleship

Mountainside Discipleship

Discipleship – What is it?

Matthew 5:1-2; 7:28-29

You’re going to hear a lot about discipleship over the next year and beyond

A group has been meeting and praying, talking, dreaming, strategizing about the future for SWAG

We’ve landed on one conclusion,and that has to do with our vision and our mission

Our mission is simply stated, “To Make Disciples.”

We’ve stated it this way: Make disciples who are mature in Christ.

Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, he gave the disciples/newborn church their marching orders.

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT)

His command was to “Make disciples” – everywhere you go, baptize them and teach them to obey all of his teachings.

Making disciples is our “One Job.”

Do you know what I mean by “One Job? – Websites – Twitter feed

One Job

Another way to think about it is that “Making disciples” is our “North Star.”

From anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere the North Star directs people to the North Pole

Find the “Big Dipper” – follow the two stars on the dipper – North Star/Polar Star – sits over the North Pole

Everything we are called to do must be in line with the Making disciples who are mature in Christ.

We cannot allow anything to sidetrack us from our mission of “Making Disciples.”

The more I consider what we are called to do – The more convinced I am that our one job is discipleship.

“Ultimately each church will be evaluated by only one thing: its disciples. Your church is only as good as its disciples. It does not matter how good your praise, preaching, programs or property are: If your disciples are passive, needy, consumerist, and not moving in the direction of radical obedience, your church is not good.” Neil Cole

A disciple is someone who lives like Jesus - Not someone who “believes in Jesus.”

Discipleship is the process of “learning from him how to lead my life as he would lead my life if he were I.”
Dallas Willard

Believing is not enough yet believing is what following Jesus has been boiled down to.

Dallas Willard referred to “just believe” Christianity as “barcode” Christianity.

If we can be rung up by the great scanner in the sky, then eternal life is assured.

Lutheran pastor and martyr at the end of WWII Dietrich Bonhoeffer admonished the church generations ago because they were settling for what he called “cheap grace.”

He said that we were practicing a brand of Christianity without a cross.

He referred to “just believe” Christianity as “easy believeism.”

The Puritans, who were part of the foundations of America, were concerned that following Jesus had degraded to being just about attending church services on Sunday

Puritans were a movement of Jesus followers who had become convinced that discipleship was a 24/7 way of life.

Believing but not living is not new …

Jesus’ brother James wrote to first-century disciples

“You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.” (James 2:19 NLT)

Believing isn’t meaningless but believing isn’t enough

Those who believe join a club.

Disciples start a movement.

Those who believe follow traditions.

Disciples follow Jesus.

Those who believe change their minds.

Disciples change their lives and other people's lives

Over the next three months, we’re going to look at Jesus first teaching about following Him

The teaching is the longest He gave

Called: The Sermon on the Mount

One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Peter, and Andrew

Jesus called to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

And they left their nets at once and followed him.

A little farther up the shore, he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets.

And he called them to come, too.

They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.

Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and healing people who came to him

He healed every kind of disease and illness.

News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick.

He healed them all.

Large crowds from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River followed him wherever he went. Matthew 4:18-25 (NLT)

Matthew’s account of the life of Jesus tells of Jesus’ most famous teaching … The Sermon on the Mount”

“One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them.” (Matthew 5:1-2 NLT)

The teaching that Jesus gave was radically different than what the people were used to hearing.

What he taught would rock their world, rock the Jewish world, rock the Roman Empire, and continues to rock people’s lives around the world today.

The teaching Jesus presented was not a lecture on moral ethics

Sometimes people see Jesus’ teaching as an enhanced form of the Ten Commandments

The thinking is thatJesus’ teaching was about raising the moral standard

Jesus teaching is so much more than just making the moral standards more rigid or stringent

Jesus teaching is a description of what a disciple looks like, acts like, treats people

“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.” (Matthew 7:28-29 NLT)

The teaching of the religious teacherswas about behavior modification.

Do this … Don’t do that.

Correct this …

Live up to that …

The teaching of the religious teachers had nothing to do with the heart

Jesus brought to the forefront the message that living as a disciple is a life lived from the heart.

Living as a disciple of Jesus is not about behavior modification

I was recently talking with someone who isn’t a person of faith

He commented: “I don’t have to believe to be a good person.”

I explained to him that following Jesus wasn’t about trying harder to be a good person.

The man is Jewish by ethnic background,so I explained to him about circumcision of the heart.

In a previous conversation, I commented how there have always been more women in the church than me because Jesus treatment of women was a radical departure from anything any culture knew.

I told him how early in the life of the church most of the Jewish believers taught that a Gentile/non-Jewish man had to be circumcised to be a disciple of Jesus

Women were swarming to become disciples of Jesus

But men – if it meant circumcision – the Gentile men were not so eager!

“Honey, we can have a Christmas Tree but no thanks on the circumcision!”

As a Jewish man, he fully understood physical circumcision

Had no clue about “circumcision of the heart.”

The Apostle Paul described circumcision of the heart this way.

When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature.” Colossians 2:11 (NLT)

Someone who simply “believes” keeps their heart hidden from Jesus

“I’ll believe but you can’t cut my heart.”

The person who merely believes screams inwardly – “Don’t touch me!”

A disciple gives Jesus access to their heart, soHe can cut away the sinful nature of their heart.

A disciple invites Jesus to cut away anger and bitterness and lust and pride

A disciple is someone who permits Jesus to “cut away sinfulness” from the heart

Dig into “The Sermon on The Mount”

Jesus’ teaching starts with what is referred to as the Beatitudes

“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,

for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

God blesses those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

God blesses those who are humble,

for they will inherit the whole earth.

God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,

for they will be satisfied.

God blesses those who are merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

God blesses those whose hearts are pure,

for they will see God.

God blesses those who work for peace,

for they will be called the children of God.”

Matthew 5:3-9 (NLT)

The Beatitudes is the picture that of what a disciple is aiming for in their heart and their life.

Person who wants to lose weight so the put a picture of the thinner them on the fridge

The young man/woman who wants to put on muscle puts up pictures of “buff” person

Kid – Russell Wilson, Stephen Curry, Lindsey Vonn

When I was a kid, it was Dr. J – Julius Erving

Constantly dreaming of being the person they idolize.

The Beatitudes are not a picture of what “exceptional disciples” would look like.

The Beatitudes are a picture of what every disciple should be like.

The Beatitudes describe the character that should be growing, forming and becoming in every disciple.

Every disciple is to have all of these characteristics growing in their person.

Not: I’m good at mercy but poor in spirit … That’s not me.

Not – some disciples who are humble – some who are peacemakers – some who are merciful

The Beatitudes are character traits for all disciples,and all disciples are to have all the characteristics at the same time.

It is Jesus intention that everyone of his disciples will be characterized as being:

Poor in spirit and realizing their need for Jesus

Mourn over the sinfulness of their heart

Humble – complete recognition that they are no better than any other person

Someone who is hungry and thirsty for justice

Characterized as being merciful

Pure in heart – single-minded

Work for peace

Each trait is dependent on every other trait and traits flow from one to another and complement each other.

You can’t mourn over your filthy heart unless you’re poor in your spirit.

You can’t humble if you don’t see your heart as it really is

You won’t be concerned about justice if unless you’re humble – if you’re better than everyone else you don’t care about justice

You won’t be merciful unless justice is a priority

The Beatitudes are not a description of what person does but a description of what they are.

So … what’s going on in your heart right now?

Wow!

I need Jesus.

“Jesus, I need you to cut away my sinful nature.”